Erste Digital GmbH

Forward Deployment Engineer - Applied AI

In short

This role involves working directly with business teams to identify AI use cases and build practical, AI-driven prototypes using tools like Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, and Databricks, at a financial institution that is part of Erste Group. It's a junior-level, hybrid position based in Vienna requiring strong AI curiosity, a demonstrable portfolio, analytical thinking, and German proficiency at B2 level alongside excellent English. The job centers on hands-on experimentation, prototyping, and deployment of AI workflows across diverse business functions rather than theoretical AI work.

About the Role
Erste Bank Oesterreich is a leading domestic financial institution and part of the international Erste Group. As a Forward Deployment Engineer, you will collaborate directly with teams across a wide range of business functions. You will analyze existing ways of working, identify opportunities for improvement, and develop practical AI-driven solutions together with end users. This role is not about theoretical concepts — it is about delivering real impact. You will experiment, build prototypes, validate them through real-world use cases, and continuously refine them in close collaboration with users. To do so, you will leverage tools such as Microsoft Copilot and Copilot Agents, ChatGPT and ChatGPT Work, as well as Databricks One and Agent Bricks.
Responsibilities
•Learn about different teams and their ways of working, conduct interviews, and identify meaningful AI use cases.
•Collaborate with end users to design practical AI-powered workflows and configure prompts, instructions, knowledge sources, connectors, and agents.
•Test prototypes using realistic business scenarios, continuously refine them through iteration, and successfully deploy them together with the teams.
•Analyze the actual usage of your solutions and evaluate their impact on efficiency, quality, turnaround times, and employee experience.
•Work responsibly within the frameworks of data protection, information security, AI governance, and human-in-the-loop principles, while actively sharing insights and learnings with the AI community.
Your Background
•Strong passion for AI and genuine curiosity to continuously explore, experiment with, and rethink new tools, models, and use cases.
•A portfolio that showcases how you work, for example through AI projects, automations, prototypes, open-source contributions, university or educational projects, or creative experiments.
•Experience with, or a solid understanding of, how prompts, instructions, and AI-powered workflows are designed, tested, and continuously improved.
•Strong analytical thinking, an interest in business processes, and the ability to develop pragmatic solutions to real-world challenges.
•Excellent communication skills, a proactive mindset, and the ability to work effectively across diverse teams, even in situations with incomplete information.
•A responsible approach to working with data and AI, along with excellent English skills.
•German language proficiency at a minimum B2 level (or equivalent) is required for the performance of the role. Additional Erste Group languages are considered an advantage.
•A degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Business Informatics, or a related field is beneficial but not required.
Portfolio Requirement
Your portfolio is an important part of your application. It is your opportunity to showcase how you think, work, and apply AI in practice. Choose any format that best represents you, whether it is a GitHub repository, Notion page, personal website, PDF, presentation, video, or something else. Share a selection of your favorite projects and briefly address:
•What problem were you trying to solve?
•What did you build, create, or experiment with?
•Which tools, technologies, and AI models did you use?
•What worked well, and what did you learn along the way?
•What would you do differently next time?
Perfection is not the goal — curiosity, creativity, and a willingness to iterate and improve are what matter.
What We Offer
•A dynamic role at the intersection of AI, business processes, and cross-functional collaboration.
•Direct exposure to a wide range of business areas and the opportunity to co-create solutions with end users.
•Short, focused engagements with visible impact on day-to-day work.
•The opportunity to turn your own ideas into practical solutions and measure their real-world impact.
•Collaboration with experts across AI, Data, IT, Architecture, Risk, Legal, and Security.
•An environment that supports both your professional growth and personal development.
•A gross annual salary starting at 46,300 EUR (full-time); actual salary based on qualifications, experience, and individual fit for the role.
•Flexible hybrid working arrangement, dividing hours between home and office.

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